Italian police accused of violence during a raid against protesters at the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001 must stand trial, a judge has ruled. The trial should start on 6 April 2005. Twenty-eight Italian police officers have been charged with lying, slander and the intent to seriously injure Anticapitalists at a school in Genoa which which they were using as a base during the 2001 G8 in Genoa, Italy.
The summit was marred by violence. One protester was killed and hundreds of police and demonstrators were injured. Protesters based at the Diaz school alleged that they had been attacked and beaten in their sleep during the raid. Police chiefs claimed they had acted on a tip-off that activists planning violent protests were hiding in the school.
Almost 100 people were arrested in the raid on the school and taken to a barracks, where it has been alleged that they were beaten and abused by police. On Monday, Judge Daniela Faraggi confirmed that 28 police face trial in connection with the raid, which was a key flashpoint during a violent weekend.
